Openness, grit and selfie videos. How Ukraine’s comedian-turned-president has become a symbol of national resistance.


_{Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has addressed the nation in a series of self-shot videos recorded on his phone and posted to social media [Instagram/@zelenskiy_official via Reuters]}


Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Ukraine’s comedian-turned-president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is fast emerging – even among some of his harshest critics – as a symbol of resistance and unity.

Often dressed in a casual green military T-shirt, the 44-year-old has addressed the nation in a series of self-shot videos recorded on his phone and published on social media.

In one such video shot outside in the capital, Kyiv, last Friday, he is surrounded by his key aides and says defiantly: “We’re all here. Our military is here. Citizens in society are here. We’re all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way.”

The video quickly went viral and was seen as an act of bravery by Ukrainians.

“I don’t think our previous presidents would have stayed in Ukraine; they probably would have escaped,” says Elizabeth Tishchenko, a resident of Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy’s personable and impassioned speeches urging Ukrainians to take up arms and his refusal to leave Ukraine despite warnings from the United States that he is the Kremlin’s top target have won him many plaudits both at home and abroad.

“He’s the literal man on the street,” says David Patrikarakos, a British journalist and author of War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century.


_{Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a comedian who played a president in a popular television series before he actually became one [Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo]}


“He is saying, ‘I’m your president, I’m not hiding, I’m not going anywhere. I am not behind the desk or wearing a suit. I am here with the risk of being killed, like everybody else.’”

His approach stands in stark contrast to the grand official settings preferred by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Visitors to the Kremlin are forced to sit at the end of a specially designed six-metre-long table when meeting Putin, resulting in a series of awkward photo-ops

In recent weeks, the Russian president, who usually comes across as calm and calculated, has cut a seemingly paranoid figure prone to long, rambling pre-recorded speeches.

“When you see Zelenskyy running around in the street, you can’t help but compare him to Vladimir Putin who looks like a supervillain in his bunker, isolated, sitting at his long table,” says Patrikarakos.

Source: Aljazeera

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is gradually being painted as a hero by the western media.

Edited: You guys should chill and stop mentioning me. I said what I said, if u don't like it break your phone!

Russia wants him to flee so that casala go burst... Dude said no like a typical Jew who was in Warsaw (Poland) and saw war tire.

Zelensky is just saying one thing to Russia and that's : " we die here together"

My kind of dude. Omoh na who give up, Bleep up. Zelensky carry day go.

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Long live Ukraine
Long live Zelensky
Long live you way like this post
Long live my humble self

Man of the moment, he chose to stay but what’s more cool is if he can atleast make peace with Vladimirovich Putin my Niqqa

A real motivational leader.

[img]https://i./1Zwz.gif[/img]

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy running for his life
during a Russian military strike

Maybe his decisions are wrong, but i really admire his courage as a type of leader that lead at the front.

J

Vladimir Putin's will surely fail woefully on his bad and negatives plans for all over the world just because of his hatred for United States of America, and America nahhh your great grandfathers almost on everything's

Reading...

Arrant nonsense

He could have chosen to flee with bags of cash and nobody would blame him. Staying means he's not fighting for personal gain, but for all Ukrainians.

Watch how Putin's trolls and US haters would come and blame him for putting up a resistance and leave the main person causing this unprovoked hardship and killings.

If you ask them, they'll tell you US did this and that, why can't Russia do the same? Which is very stupid because you're blaming US for doing wrong, and yet see nothing wrong in Russia following the same foot steps. Makes no sense.

They should keep hyping him till Russia finish his country.

Bring it on

Oga you better swallow your pride and settle score with Putin.

Sha win

Make this clown rest abeg

The west is hell bent on destroying Ukraine. They are more concerned about fueling the war than sincerely seeking solution.

Calling this man a hero sounds stupid and funny. What has he done ? They know he is senseless so they are calling him a hero just to massage his ego.

It took America and NATO 8 months to kill Ghadaffi even with high handed military might yet they never called him a hero

It too Nigeria and their allies 3 years to get Ojukwu to surrender yet some people mischievously call Ojukwu a coward. I believe that some Nigerians who call Ojukwu a coward believe that Ukrainian president is a hero. Hypocrites everywhere.

The list goes on.

And here we are seeing some people address a man who fought only few days with very minimal Russian military might a hero

The west and their media are hypocrites.
They want to destroy Ukraine. Unfortunately Ukraine doesn't have a wise president.

The guy try abeg .

But this dude looks like one American actor like that